Surrey, BC – The City of Surrey is making changes to its zoning rules to comply with new provincial housing laws.The provincial government is requiring cities to make these changes in an effort to increase the supply and affordability of housing in British Columbia. During its Regular Council Meeting on June 10, Surrey Council approved bylaw amendments to create new zones for small-scale, multi-unit housing developments; update existing rules to make it easier to build these types of developments; increase the distance that people need to be notified when there are changes to the city’s official community plan or zoning bylaw from 100 to 120 metres; and create new rules for providing notices for proposed development variance permits.
“Surrey and other cities are facing an unprecedented challenge due to the Province’s new housing legislation, which was implemented without any consultation,” said Mayor Brenda Locke. “Aside from hindering a city’s ability to plan for livable communities, I am very concerned how these unilateral measures will change communities forever. We need a collaborative approach with higher levels of government to ensure sustainable and equitable growth, rather than simply imposing top-down solutions.”
In addition to the new provincial legislation, cities—including Surrey—are receiving targets from the Province to build new housing quickly. Surrey is experiencing record-breaking development. As of the end of April, the City had issued for 5,123 new housing units which total $2.12B in construction values.The City has more than 34,000 housing units approved in principle that have not yet been built.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation estimates Canada needs to build 5.8 million new housing units by 2030. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities research estimates the average cost of municipal infrastructure to support new housing in Canada is $107,000 per home.